World Beirut Pride cancelled after organiser held overnight by authorities

22:21 16 may 2018

22:21 16 may 2018 Source:
reuters.com

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The first-ever gay pride week in Beirut was partially canceled after organizers received threats from an Islamist religious group, Middle East Eye reported. Some of anti-homophobia events in Lebanon were pulled on Saturday after a Muslim Salafist group appealed to authorities and then directly

The authorities complied and sent evidence to their Cypriot colleagues revealing that the suspect had withdrawn the money deposited for the tractor from his bank account on three occasions. Beirut Pride cancelled after organiser held overnight .

Lebanon last year became the first Arab country to hold a gay pride week, though the opening event was cancelled because of safety concerns after threats of violence.

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The organiser of Lebanon's Beirut Pride says authorities detained him on Monday night. But the organiser of this year's Beirut Pride , Hadi Damien, said he was taken to a police station overnight after security services came to an event.

(At least one hotel scheduled to host a Beirut Pride event canceled at the last minute, citing security concerns.) A public gathering like Pride takes visibility to another level, but after years of secret grassroots meetings, organizers believe the time is right.

This year's pride week began on May 12 and was due to run until May 20.

Lebanon is widely seen as more socially liberal than most other Arab countries, but lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people say they are still discriminated against by state and society.

In a statement on the Beirut Pride website, organiser Hadi Damien said that security services turned up late on Tuesday at a public reading of a theatre play. Damien said he was taken to a police station overnight and questioned.

Damien said he was asked to sign a pledge promising to cancel upcoming events and in return he would be released.

The Interior Ministry said it was unable to provide immediate comment.

Damien said he was told that if he refused to sign the pledge, he would be referred to the investigation judge for interrogation on the basis of articles pertaining to the incitement to immorality and to the breach of public morality for coordinating the activities.

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Lebanon's gay pride week was canceled a couple of days into the event after its organizer was detained by the authorities , he and his Hadi Damien, the organizer of Beirut Pride week, said Since 1991, the Gay Pride parade has been held in Cologne every year on the first weekend in July.

BEIRUT . An annual gay pride parade in the Turkish city of Istanbul will not go ahead Sunday, organizers said in a statement Friday after the Istanbul riot police fired tear gas and rubber pellets Sunday to disperse a march for transgender people, which was also prohibited by the authorities .

On legal advice, Damien signed the pledge, he said in the statement. Lebanon's laws prohibit "unnatural" sex, without giving further definition, which has been used to criminalise gay sex. Last year a Lebanese judge said that same-sex relations do not contradict laws of nature, a move welcomed by rights activists.

Damien said the public prosecution had received an Arabic version of the Beirut Pride programme that was "completely distorted, making Beirut Pride appear like events of debauchery and disrespect of general law, while using derogatory terms to refer to LGBT individuals.

Ghenwa Samhat, executive director of Lebanese LGBT rights organisation Helem, said that many rights organisations in Lebanon experience such pressures.

"These things are not new to us," Samhat said.

But in the 20 years since the LGBT rights movement began in Lebanon, progress has been made.

"People can express themselves in public places, there are placers friendly to LGBTQ+, where they face no problems," she said.

Positive media coverage surrounding Beirut Pride and activities for the annual International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia on May 17 can also be counted as an achievement, Samhat said. (Reporting by Lisa Barrington Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky and David Goodman)

South Carolina inmates, including 2 charged with murder, escape prison, officials say .
Authorities launched a dragnet Sunday for three South Carolina inmates, including two who were charged with murder, after they escaped prison, the sheriff’s office said. Tyshon Demontrea Johnson, 27, Curtis Ray Green, 20, and Christopher Shannon Boltin, 27, escaped from Orangeburg County Detention Center Saturday night, the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post.Investigators discovered they were missing after they were notified of a possible escape attempt just before 10 p.m.Authorities said the three inmates are considered dangerous.

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The first-ever gay pride week in Beirut was partially canceled after organizers received threats from an Islamist religious group, Middle East Eye reported. Some of anti-homophobia events in Lebanon were pulled on Saturday after a Muslim Salafist group appealed to authorities and then directly

The authorities complied and sent evidence to their Cypriot colleagues revealing that the suspect had withdrawn the money deposited for the tractor from his bank account on three occasions. Beirut Pride cancelled after organiser held overnight .

The organiser of Lebanon's Beirut Pride says authorities detained him on Monday night. But the organiser of this year's Beirut Pride , Hadi Damien, said he was taken to a police station overnight after security services came to an event.

(At least one hotel scheduled to host a Beirut Pride event canceled at the last minute, citing security concerns.) A public gathering like Pride takes visibility to another level, but after years of secret grassroots meetings, organizers believe the time is right.

Beirut gay pride week canceled after organizer detained - www.dw.com

Lebanon's gay pride week was canceled a couple of days into the event after its organizer was detained by the authorities , he and his Hadi Damien, the organizer of Beirut Pride week, said Since 1991, the Gay Pride parade has been held in Cologne every year on the first weekend in July.

BEIRUT . An annual gay pride parade in the Turkish city of Istanbul will not go ahead Sunday, organizers said in a statement Friday after the Istanbul riot police fired tear gas and rubber pellets Sunday to disperse a march for transgender people, which was also prohibited by the authorities .

One unofficial LGBT event was canceled after threats were made by an Islamist organization. The cancellation brought more visibility to Beirut Pride than planned. “In the end, we did things properly, got all the authorizations from the authorities and our events are safe,” Damien told Al-Monitor.

Beirut gay pride event a first for Lebanon - CNN - edition.cnn.com

According to organizers , a hotel in central Beirut that was meant to serve as a venue for a Beirut Pride launch event canceled less than 24 hours before it was set to begin after saying it had received security threats.

On Monday, organisers had to cancel a seminar on discrimination against the LGBT community for "security reasons" after the Islamists threatened to hold Instead of focusing on a rowdy street parade as seen in other more liberal countries, Beirut Pride will include film screenings, lectures and a party

THE Lebanese capital of Beirut held its first LGBTI pride celebration this week—the first in any Arab country. Festival organiser Hadi Damien said the turnout exceeded expectations. Lebanon still has laws that discriminate “[They] received pressure from the Lebanese authorities to cancel the event.”

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